Ling 115 Midterm 1 questions with complete solutions A GUARANTEED

Ling 115 Midterm 1 Exam Practice Question Set | Practice-Ready Answer Guide What is a variety of speech? - answer - A neutral term for any way of speaking, including languages, dialects, styles, and registers. Why is the classification of a variety as a language important? - answer - It can give that variety greater status, recognition, and linguistic rights. What are four areas where language recognition can provide advantages? - answer - Government administration, education, law courts, and commerce. What are linguistic rights? - answer - Rights allowing speakers to use their language in certain areas of society. Do speakers of dialects typically receive the same linguistic rights as speakers of recognized languages? - answer - No, they almost never receive similar rights. What are the two linguistic theories used to define a language? - answer - The Invariant System Hypothesis and the Mutual Intelligibility Hypothesis. Are languages and dialects always classified based on their linguistic properties? - answer - No, sociopolitical factors often determine their classification. What is the Invariant System Hypothesis? - answer - The theory that a language consists of a shared vocabulary and identical rules of grammar and pronunciation. What two main components make up a language under the Invariant System Hypothesis? - answer - A vocabulary and a set of grammar and pronunciation rules. What does the Invariant System Hypothesis assume about speakers of the same language? - answer - They use the same vocabulary and linguistic rules. What is the major problem with the Invariant System Hypothesis? - answer - No two individuals use exactly the same vocabulary and linguistic rules. What was the American Linguistic Atlas Project? - answer - A mid-20th-century project studying differences in how Americans speak. What did the American Linguistic Atlas Project discover? - answer - No two speakers answered all questions in exactly the same way. What is an idiolect? - answer - The unique, personalized way an individual uses language. Does everyone have an idiolect? - answer - Yes, everyone speaks in a slightly different way. How do idiolects challenge the Invariant System Hypothesis? - answer - They demonstrate that speakers of the same language do not use identical linguistic systems. What is an example of vocabulary differences between American and British English? - answer - Gas vs. petrol, or trunk vs. boot. What is an example of grammar differences between American and British English? - answer - Americans may use "dove," while British speakers may use "dived." What would happen if English were defined by one completely invariant system? - answer - Many American and British English speakers would not qualify as speaking the same language. What is the Mutual Intelligibility Hypothesis (MIH)? - answer - The theory that language classification depends on whether speakers understand each other. What does mutual intelligibility mean? - answer - Two speakers can understand each other when speaking their respective varieties. According to MIH, what are mutually intelligible varieties? - answer - Varieties of the same language. According to MIH, what are mutually unintelligible varieties? - answer - Varieties of different languages. What is the first type of counterexample to MIH? - answer - Mutually intelligible varieties classified as separate languages. What is the second type of counterexample to MIH? - answer - Mutually unintelligible varieties classified as dialects of one language. Which three Scandinavian languages challenge MIH? - answer - Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. Why do Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish challenge MIH? - answer - They are mutually intelligible to a considerable degree but recognized as separate languages. Why do Hindi and Urdu challenge MIH? - answer - They are mutually intelligible in everyday speech but officially recognized as se